Chapter 559: He Cried
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Shen Zhijin.
As he held the little girl in his arms, his movements were awkward and clumsy, but there was a rare tenderness and patience in his eyes.
He tried to coax the little girl as he held her in his arms. When she looked up and saw the unfamiliar but beautiful face, she seemed to be stunned for a moment. She forgot to cry, merely staring at him with red eyes. There was a trace of confusion and curiosity in her eyes.
The remaining tears left on her eyelashes were like sparkling crystals, which made her look pitiful but adorable.
Shen Zhijin felt a pain in his heart at being the focus of such a gaze. He coaxed her even more gently and caressed her back.
Generally, he never spoke much, and at this moment, he was even more at a loss. After tossing and turning over the thoughts in his mind, all he could think to say was, “Be good, don’t cry anymore...”
When they saw that it was Shen Zhijin himself, the crowd around them quickly restrained themselves and stopped.
The little girl’s mother finally came over and called out worriedly, “Meng Meng!”
Hearing her mother’s voice, the little girl raised her head.
When she saw her mother, she felt aggrieved again. She opened her arms and said with a sobbing voice, “Mommy!”
The woman quickly bent over to hug her.
“Meng Meng, I’m sorry. It’s Mommy’s fault. Did you fall and hurt yourself?”
Shen Zhijin’s movements paused for a moment. Then, he let go of the little girl’s hand and stood up.
The little girl threw herself into her mother’s arms and hugged her tightly. She was about to nod when she suddenly thought of the uncle who had coaxed her. She turned her head back.
She looked at Shen Zhijin and shook her head gently. She said softly, “It doesn’t hurt...”
Only then did the woman repeatedly thank Shen Zhijin.
“Professor Shen, thank you so much!”
Shen Zhijin’s expression had returned to its usual calm and indifferent state.
“You’re welcome.”
He opened his mouth and his gaze fell on the little girl’s face. His throat felt dry, and after a while, he said in a tense voice, “Why didn’t you protect your own child?”
Ning Li did not know if she was imagining it, but she could actually hear a trace of cold and suppressed anger from Shen Zhijin’s words.
Ever since she had known Shen Zhijin, he had always been calm and indifferent.
This was the first time she had seen Shen Zhijin get angry.
The little girl’s mother had not expected Shen Zhijin to react like this. However, this time, it was true that she had not protected her daughter well. If Shen Zhijin had not come forward in time, who knew what would have happened?
She hugged the little girl tightly, looking guilty and ashamed.
“I was too careless...”
When the little girl saw this, she hugged her neck and nuzzled her face.
“It’s not mommy’s fault...”
As she said this, she pouted at Shen Zhijin and called out in a childish voice, “Uncle, don’t scold my mommy!”
This voice seemed to have finally brought Shen Zhijin back to his senses.
He closed his eyes and suppressed the surging emotions in his heart.
In the blink of an eye, he turned back into the elegant, strict, and steady Shen Zhijin.
The woman coaxed the little girl before explaining, “Professor Shen, I’ve always admired you. I brought Meng Meng here today because I wanted to sit in on your lecture...”
She looked at the girl in her arms.
“Meng Meng, let’s go home, okay?”
The little girl seemed to be a little reluctant as she muttered softly, “Didn’t you say we were going to look at the stars...”
The woman looked a little embarrassed.
Shen Zhijin said, “Yan Qiu, take them in.”
Yan Qiu was momentarily stunned before he immediately reacted.
“Okay.”
They took a special passageway, so there was no need to crowd with others.
With Yan Qiu leading the way, they could avoid a lot of danger.
He said to the woman, “Ma’am, please come with us.”
The woman was a little embarrassed.
“This... Thank you, Professor Shen.”
Shen Zhijin only nodded slightly, before turning around to walk to the side door.
The rest of the group immediately followed.
...
After entering the auditorium, the woman thanked Shen Zhijin again.
Shen Zhijin’s expression was indifferent. He turned his feet slightly and went backstage.
Yan Qiu followed him.
Ning Li followed Fu Niannian and the others to her seat.
After all, they were Shen Zhijin’s students. They had the best seats which were in the middle of the third row.
The woman also had a ticket which coincidentally was for a seat that was two rows behind them to their right.
At this moment, there were not many people entering the venue yet.
After Ning Li sat down, she heard the soft voice of the little girl behind her.
“Mommy, that uncle just now fell and hurt himself.”
Her mother could not help but laugh.
“Nonsense, Professor Shen did not fall. He was trying to help Meng Meng to get up.”
The little girl was very serious.
“But he was crying.”
Ning Li was stunned.
The woman seemed to be a little surprised as well. She did not know whether to laugh or cry and tapped the little girl’s nose.
“How is that possible? Meng Meng was the only one who cried. Everyone saw it.”
Seeing that her mother did not believe her, the little girl raised her voice slightly.
“It’s true! I really saw him cry!”
She shook her little head and continued to mumble in seriousness.
“He must have been in so much pain that he cried.”
...
More and more people started to enter the auditorium one after another.
The mother and daughter’s voices were gradually drowned out by the clamor of the crowd.
Ning Li, on the other hand, was a little stunned.
Shen Zhijin...
When he went to help the little girl, he had not hesitated at all.
He had lowered his head for a moment, so no one had seen his expression.
No one knew what he had been thinking at that time.
After hesitating for a moment, she turned to look at Fu Niannian and asked softly, “Senior Brother, does Teacher Shen... have a child?”
Fu Niannian was stunned, then he shook his head.
“No.”
Ning Li recalled the image of Shen Zhijin clumsily hugging the little girl as he coaxed her. She nodded lightly.
That was true.
If Shen Zhijin had a child, the outside world would have heard about it a long time ago.
He should also not have... never celebrated a festival like the Mid-Autumn Festival.
As the crowd entered the hall, the seats in the auditorium gradually filled up.
There were also many people standing in the aisle at the back.
Suddenly, there was a commotion in the auditorium.
Ning Li looked up and saw that Shen Zhijin was on the stage.
Just like every time he appeared in front of everyone, he looked elegant and proud.
Behind her, several young students could not hide their excitement as they chattered among themselves.
However, her gaze could not help but fall on his left knee.
When she took a closer look, she could vaguely see a faint dust mark.
It was the mark that had been left behind when he had knelt down and picked up the little girl.
She suddenly remembered what the little girl had said.
–He must have cried because he was in so much pain.